


Four Courses

by bitboozy



Series: Domesticated [14]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Gen, Romance, this one's a wild ride, we've got fluff and feelings and tears and smut oh my
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 22:41:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20235550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitboozy/pseuds/bitboozy
Summary: A day in the life of the newly formed Hardy/Miller family, as told through four meals throughout the day.





	Four Courses

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for coming out of the woodwork to comment on my last story! It was so great to hear from you. Please keep 'em coming so I know you're out there. :) You're all fabulous!

**Breakfast**

“STAR WARS.”

Fred jumps up from the kitchen table. “KYLO REN!” 

Tom rolls his eyes, and with a mouthful of toast, replies, “Kylo Ren isn’t a party theme.”

“Nor should he be,” Ellie agrees, tapping a soft-boiled egg with a spoon. “Not sure how I feel about this Kylo Ren obsession about yours.”

“_Not sure_?” Alec scoffs. She complains about it all the time.

“I can look online for party stuff,” Daisy says helpfully, finishing her bowl of cereal. “Sure there’s plenty Star Wars-related.” 

“STAR WARS!” Fred exclaims again.

“Sit back down and finish your yogurt, little love,” Ellie says, directing him back to his chair. “We’ll get you your Star Wars do.”

“Can it be a costume party?” The child asks, bringing a spoonful of yogurt to his mouth and missing spectacularly.

Ellie sighs and begins to wipe at him with a napkin. “No.”

“I dunno, El, reckon I’d quite like you in a Princess Leia costume,” Alec says with a wink. He steals a piece of toast off her plate.

“Why do you never make your own toast?” Daisy asks, clocking it. “You say you’re not a breakfast person, and then steal from everyone else’s plate.”

“The idea of food is very unappealing to me until I see it with my own eyes.”

Ellie rolls _hers, _and so does Daisy. This makes Alec smile. “No costumes,” she reiterates. Then winks at Alec. “Not at the party anyway.”

He goes a bit red at the idea of it.

“Stop,” Tom complains without even looking at them.

“Can I have five cakes?” Fred asks, and this time the yogurt makes it into his mouth. “Because I’m FIVE.”

“No,” Tom says.

“Five HUNDRED presents!” The child exclaims.

“Oh, brother,” Tom mutters into his orange juice.

“Yes, _yours_,” Daisy retorts with a twinkle in her eyes.

She’s getting very good at this whole banter thing, Alec thinks. Ellie is rubbing off on her.

“Five ice creams,” Fred continues, off in his own birthday party daydream. “Five Kylo posters. Five Kylo pinatas.”

“_I’d _like to give him a whack,” Ellie mutters under her breath before finishing the last of her coffee.

“Five FREDS!” He flings his yogurt spoon in the air by accident.

“Oh, dear,” Ellie sighs as it lands in her lap, soiling her nice, clean work skirt. 

“One Fred is enough.” Tom pushes his chair back and gets up to bring his plate to the basin.

Daisy downs her orange juice. “Gettin’ a ride in with Chloe today. Be here any minute now.” 

“Still want me to grab you after school?” Ellie asks her. “Thought we’d try a new Ethiopian place up in Budmouth.”

Ellie and Daisy are on a bit of an international food kick, and have taken to going on little dinner dates after school now and then.

“Ooh, yes, please.” Daisy brings her dishes to the basin, and kisses Ellie’s cheek. “This is me off.” She goes to kiss her dad’s cheek as well.

“Want Thee-opan food,” Fred says, pouting. 

“Oh, no, sweet,” Ellie replies, wiping his mouth. “You get to have pizza night with Alec.”

“PIZZA!”

“That’s right,” Alec agrees. “We’ll have us a lads’ night.”

“I’ve got practice,” Tom says, packing up his schoolbag.

Alec grabs another piece of toast off Ellie’s plate. “We’ll save you some then.”

“Tom, you still want to come with me to the gym tomorrow morning?” She asks her older son. She just barely clocks Alec looking at her with wide eyes.

“Yeah. Not too early though.”

“6:30,” she replies, with a warning tone.

“Fine.”

“Since when do you go to the bloody gym?” Alec questions her finally.

“Since 6:30 tomorrow morning,” Ellie answers, taking the toast, now with his bite marks, out of his hands and popping it into her mouth. “My only recreation can’t be in the bedroom." 

“_Stop._” Daisy’s turn to say it now. “I’m off.”

Daisy exits the kitchen.

“Why can’t it?” Alec responds to her plaintively.

“FIVE HUNDRED BALLOONS!” Fred stands on his chair.

“Down.” Ellie tugs on the child’s arm and he sits back down.

Alec leans toward Ellie, voice low. “I can find ways to add more physical exertion if that’s what you’re looking for…" 

She swats him. “I shudder to think.” 

He raises an eyebrow. “Oh you’ll do more than shudder, lass.”

Tom clears his throat. “Anyone going to drive me to school?!” 

Ellie stands. “Right, I’m on it.” She brings her dishes to the counter, and then glances back at Alec. “Love, you’ll run Fred to nursery?" 

“I go with Alec,” Fred confirms.

“Yeah, got it covered.”

Ellie grabs her bag, then goes over to snuggle Fred. “I love you, my sweet, sweet little almost-five-year-old. Be good.” Then to kiss Alec on the lips. “See you at work.” 

Alec grasps onto her arm when she tries to walk away and kisses her again. “Princess Leia costume…” He whispers in her ear.

She scoffs. “Yeah, and what do _I _get? Jabba the Hut?” She ruffles Fred’s hair again, then follows an eager Tom out the door.

“We’ll discuss this in my office later!” Alec calls after her.

Once they’re gone, Fred looks at Alec innocently, and Alec sees that his shirt is covered in yogurt. He drops his head in his hands. Fred grins.

*

**Lunch**

At lunch time, Alec goes out and grabs some takeaway for the two of them. She had been at her desk when he left, but by the time he comes back, she’s in his office, re-reading old case files. She’s lying across the couch, her feet propped up on the arm, legs crossed. The yogurt stain is still on her skirt but she looks quite nice, he notices. A dark red silk blouse that accentuates his favorite parts of her, black high heels, and matching accessories. The accessories are where she normally draws the line, but she has to appear in crown court this afternoon, so she’s gone the extra mile. He drops two takeaway containers on the small coffee table and sits in the nearby chair.

“Salad?!” She complains, swinging her legs off the couch so she can sit up.

“You’re the one going on about the gym,” he explains, digging into his.

“I’m not on a bloody _diet_.” She frowns, pushing the raw vegetables around in disgust. “Just trying to keep in shape.”

He tosses her a packet of dressing. “Put this on it, you’ll be fine.”

She does, albeit reluctantly.

“So you think Johnson will get off?” He asks her, contently munching away at his salad. 

“Bloody well better not,” she replies, thinking that cucumber is maybe not so bad.

“Sure you don’t want me to come along?” 

“Nah.” She shrugs. “I’m going to take him down in no uncertain terms. No fear. Hang him out to dry and still make it in time to pick up Daisy from school. I’m Wonder Woman, me.”

His ears perk up. “Now there’s another costume idea.”

She rolls her eyes. “You’re incorrigible.” She holds up a reddish vegetable. “What’s this?" 

“Radish!” He answers, with a snarl of his lips. “My god, woman.”

She pops it in her mouth and winces.

“Swallow it,” he tells her with a warning tone. She does. “That’s a good lass.”

“I hate you.”

He smiles, mouth full of greens.

“Oh, listen, if you can’t get away early enough today to mind Fred, give Luce a call,” Ellie offers, biting into a green pepper.

He looks at her a bit confused and a bit disheartened. “To _mind _Fred?”

“Yeah,” she says casually. “I know you’re still interviewing for the Winslow case, so I gave Luce a heads up that – “

“Ellie, I’m not a sodding _child-minder_,” he protests. “Fred is – you know, he’s my – I’m his – anyway I’m not a hired hand. If I say I’ve got him, I’ve got him.”

She’s a tad startled. “I didn’t mean – I _realize _that, I only meant…”

“We live together now. We’re a…well, you know, we’re a family now. Your responsibilities are my responsibilities.” He shoves a baby carrot into his mouth and tries not to sulk. When he looks up, she’s smiling and it’s an impossibly lovely sight.

“Right,” she says, her voice a little broken with emotion. “Yes, you’re right. Sorry." 

“Thank you,” he says, with a twinge of childish bitterness.

He continues eating, but she’s just staring at hers, a bit distracted.

“’S not going to turn into a cheeseburger the longer you stare at it, El.”

She looks up then, eyes lit up. “Should we make it official then?” She asks. “Make you Tom and Fred’s…legal guardian. Might make it easier. In the long run.”

His jaw drops just the tiniest bit. “…Yeah, yes, if you like, that would be…yeah.”

“Sure?”

“I’m sure.”

And suddenly they’re grinning at each other.

He’s left his office door open, something he can do much more readily now that their relationship isn’t a secret. Katie appears and raps gently on the doorway.

“’Scuse me, sir, we’ve got a shout down at the caravan park.”

“Right.” He sits up. “Harford, you’ll tag along. Miller’s in court this afternoon.”

“Yes, sir.” Katie nods.

“Two minutes.”

She disappears again. Alec stands and brushes himself off a bit. Ellie starts to get up as well.

“No, you sit, finish eating.”

She scrunches up her nose in disgust, looking down at her salad. 

“Finish it or you’ll be make making all sorts of noises in court,” he insists.

She sits back down obediently. He grabs his phone and puts it in his pocket.

“Good luck in the box.” He leans down and gives her a peck.

“One more,” she demands, and he kisses her again. “Be safe.”

He heads for the door. “I love you!” She calls after him, and smiles when she hears him groan loudly, continuing on his way. He hates to have to yell out words of affection in public. She laughs to herself wickedly, and tosses her salad in the bin.

*

**Dinner**

Halfway through their meal at the Ethiopian restaurant in Budmouth, Daisy makes a confession.

“I’ve sort of started seein’ this boy.”

Ellie nearly spits out her water.

“_Oh_. Well. Good news, isn’t it? What’s his name?”

“Name’s Colin, he’s in the year above me,” Daisy replies. “Footballer, but he’s smart. Plays chess and all too.”

Ellie is grinning. “Sounds dreamy. How long’s all this been on?”

“Few weeks. It’s not _serious_, but I might love him?” Ellie is trying very, very hard not to laugh through her smile. “It’s like, he’s really cool and nice but he’s a bit shit about texting so he can be real annoyin’ but we get on well enough.”

“First boyfriend?”

“Nah,” Daisy replies, as if the notion’s absurd. “Had loads of boyfriends back home.”

Ellie nods, thinking that there’s no way her father has any idea about this. Nor should he. Ever.

“El.” The teenager picks at her food, avoiding Ellie’s gaze. “It’s all right to talk about you about…_things_, right?”

“What things? I mean, yeah, ‘course you can, you can talk to me about anything, but – “

“Like boy things.” Daisy shifts a bit in her seat.

“Oh, yeah. Or girl things if you prefer. Or, human things…” Ellie shakes her head at her own awkwardness. “Yes.” 

Daisy nods thoughtfully. “How old were you when you…”

“Had sex?” Ellie offers.

“…Yeah.”

“Oh, you’re not gonna like this answer, darling,” she says in reply. “I was gone nineteen.”

“Really?”

“Not ‘til uni for me, I’m afraid.”

“But you had boyfriends in high school, yeah?”

“I did. Obnoxious things, they are. Did my fair share of snogging under staircases and sneaking off to the beach at night, I did,” Ellie tells her. “But I always knew that I never wanted to shag anyone who had as little experience as it as I did. Sounded like a right mess to me. In uni, I started seein’ a PhD student, ‘bout seven years my elder, and he took care of that quite quick.”

“Wow,” Daisy breathes out. 

“I know it feels like there’s a rush on it,” Ellie says. “And if that’s really what you want, it’s all right, but there’s no reason it has to happen early. The fact is, sex is just _better _the older you get. The more you know yourself and your body. It’s not much fun the first few times.”

“Yeah.” Daisy shrugs, a bit shyly. 

“The only advice I’ll give you – and I know you didn’t ask for any – is to listen to your instincts. Sex is no good when you’re just trying to prove something. If you really, truly _want _it, well then, good for you, go for it. Otherwise it’s not worth it.”

Daisy nods. “Thanks.”

“Course, love. Any day any time.”

“Can I change the subject?” 

Ellie smiles gratefully. “_Please_.”

“When you were workin’ with Dad,” she begins. “How did you know when you…felt somethin’ different for him? Like not quite partners but…more than that.”

She takes a bite of her meal, taking her time in answering. “Well. Complicated question, your dad and I have been on quite the ride.”

“I know. But – how do you know the difference? Between friendship and love?” 

“You might not for a while, and that’s the truth. The two have a lot in common,” Ellie concedes. “I think it’s to do with…how often you think of them when they’re not around. How often you smile, again even if they’re not around. But I…you know, your dad and I worked closely together for a good while, and…early on, of course, I was married and I wasn’t – well, it wasn’t like that. But later…” She pauses, thinking back. “I did things for him I’d never have done for anyone else. Made sacrifices I’d never have considered otherwise. But ours were extraordinary circumstances, Daiz, and I had no idea how I truly felt about your father until he’d gone.”

Daisy is paying shrewd attention, making a note of every word. “You mean after the trial, when he came back to us, left Broadchurch.”

Ellie nods. “It wasn’t until he was gone that I understood what an essential part of my life he’d become.”

“But friends leave sometimes, and we miss _them_,” Daisy argues.

“You’re right.” Ellie looks away briefly, deep in thought. “I think it’s…_how _we miss them that’s different. Your dad, I thought of him every day when he was gone. Good days, bad days, didn’t matter. Something would remind me of him and I’d…” She smiles, cheeks turning red. “I missed him. Far more than I thought I ever could. There was an ache there.” 

“So it’s more intense,” Daisy says. “The difference between friendship and love.” 

“Yeah, I s’pose.” 

There’s a bit of quiet, both pushing what’s left of their food around their plates, wondering how much they should ask of each other, how much they should say.

“When Dad wanted to move me to Broadchurch, Mum said it was ‘because he’s got a girl there.’" 

Ellie snorts. It makes Daisy smile.

“It’s been sort of amazin’,” Daisy admits, a bit cagily, as any sixteen-year-old would be in such an emotionally mature conversation. “Watchin’ Dad…you know. Be in love with you.” 

“Oh.” Ellie shakes her head, preternaturally humble.

“No, I mean, really, it’s…I’m not tryin’ to flatter you.”

Ellie laughs. “I know you’re not, love.” 

“Since we moved to Broadchurch, he’s been alive in a way I’ve honestly never seen.”

Ellie feels her face get hot and touches her own cheeks. 

“He’d been such a right pain in the arse before, and his health bein’ the way it was…he was really a miserable sod,” Daisy says, and almost laughs at the memory. “Before you, I never could have lived with him on my own. But it was what he wanted. And he wanted it so bloody badly.” 

Ellie is listening intently, nodding.

“It’s because of you. I know that now. He wanted to be here, wanted me to be here, because of you.”

“Oh, Daiz.” Ellie reaches her hand out and touches her cheek briefly.

“Thanks.” Daisy looks at Ellie square in the eyes. “For being good to him.”

“_Daisy_.” Ellie could cry. Easily. And ceaselessly. 

“Sorry.”

“No, no. Just…” Ellie tilts her head back and presses against her tear ducts to suppress her instinct to cry, before looking back at her. “What a lovely thing to say. But there’s no need to thank me.”

Daisy is crying now and she doesn’t know why. “You love him so much.”

“Oh, sweet girl. What’s the matter?”

“Nothin’. ‘S just a bit weird, you know?” Daisy replies, recovering. “I’m a child of divorce but…I don’t feel like it.”

Ellie leans forward and holds her hand out across the table. Daisy accepts it.

“I love you so terribly much,” Ellie tells her. “Honest. I just keep waiting for you to turn into a right hormonal disaster and make us all miserable, but here you are. Lovelier and more mature than you’ve any right to be.” 

“Love you too,” Daisy says.

Ellie squeezes her hand, then they break apart, both wiping away obnoxious tears.

“Right, then. Should we both get dessert, then head straight home to terrorize the boys?”

Daisy grins. “Deal.”

*

**Dessert**

When they get home, it’s about 7:45, and Ellie fully expects to find the house in a state of disarray. Instead, she finds it cleaner than she left it, and much quieter, too.

Fred is already asleep, clearly worn out by their “lads night,” and is passed out on Alec’s lap on the couch. Daisy finds this hilarious, and takes a picture on her mobile, to her father’s great consternation. She goes to kiss his cheek.

“Think I’ll head on up,” Daisy says.

“Have a nice meal?” Alec asks.

His daughter grins at Ellie. “The best.”

Alec can see something pass between them, and though he has no idea what might have transpired, his heart feels full.

“Ethiopian’s a new fave,” Daisy tells him. “But I’ve got loads of schoolwork.”

“Bring you up some tea in a bit,” Alec says.

“Thanks, Dad.”

She heads up the stairs, still smiling a bit at Fred, fast asleep. Ellie has been standing in the doorway to the living room throughout, watching. Alec finally looks over at her.

“Long day?” 

“No complaints here.” 

She goes over to the couch, dropping an unidentified plastic bag on the coffee table. She touches the sleeping Fred’s forehead lightly, then leans in to kiss Alec. He’s a bit taken aback by something about her.

“Why, Ellie Miller, you’re all aglow,” he says, bemused.

She kisses him again, lingering a bit. “Let me get him to bed. Tom home yet?”

“In his room,” Alec replies, as Ellie gets a grip on Fred and hoists him up into her arms. “He beat you home by about five minutes.”

“Good. Be back,” she says, holding Fred to her and kissing the boy’s cheek.

She disappears up the stairs. Once she’s out of sight, he peaks into the unidentified plastic bag and finds leftover dessert there. Some kind of chocolate cake. He’s not much for dessert, but he knows she’ll want it, and she’s been known to persuade him into joining her. He takes it out and puts it on a plate so that it’s waiting for her on the coffee table when she descends the stairs and returns. She collapses onto the couch next to him. 

“You absolutely wear him out, I don’t know how you do it,” she says, exhaling.

“He’s five, not that hard,” Alec replies. “Once he stops taking a midday nap, though, we’re fucked beyond reason.”

Ellie laughs, relaxing against him.

“Nice dinner?” He asks.

“Mm. I’m in love with your daughter.”

He tingles all over. “Me too.”

“Cried tonight, we did.”

Alec looks down at her. “You and Daiz?!”

Ellie nods. “She asked how I knew the difference between friendship and love, how I could tell the difference with you.”

“_Oh_.”

“I don’t suspect my answer clarified much, but then she was thanking me for being good to you, telling me how it amazing it’s been watching you be in love with me.”

“Christ.” Alec is a bit flummoxed.

“I know.” 

“Said she doesn’t actually _feel _like a child of divorce,” Ellie explains. “Cause of you and me.”

He rubs the back of his neck, and doesn’t know what to say. She pulls back to look at him. “So of course I cried.” 

Despite himself, he laughs. Ellie turns to him and moves to sit on her knees. “And how was my little love?”

“Oh I’m fine.” 

She stares at him.

“He was…as he always is.” Alec shrugs, thinking back on his afternoon with Fred. “He’s magic.”

Ellie’s heart stops.

“He is, El, he’s magic. Dunno how you’ve done it.”

She leans her head on his shoulder. She doesn’t want to cry again tonight. He waits it out – he knows what it looks like when she’s trying to shake off her emotions – and rubs her back. Once recovered, she regards him again. “You know he adores everything about you, right? Child worships the ground you walk on.”

Alec shrugs, because he can understand the feeling. “It’s mutual.”

“This is pure nonsense, you know that?” Ellie leans over to the coffee table and grabs a forkful of chocolate cake. “There’s no good reason for this to be working as well as it is.” She shoves it into her mouth. “We’re bound to hit an iceberg any moment.”

He takes the fork from her, and snags his own bite of cake. She nearly gasps with delight.

“You gonna eat that? You _know _it’s chocolate cake right?”

With a mischievous grin, he pops it in his mouth. She watches with delight. 

“You’ve turned me on to dessert,” he says, savoring it, but mostly savoring the look on her face.

“God, I’ve never wanted to snog you more.” She hikes up her skirt and crawls onto his lap, straddling him. “You beautiful man.” 

She kisses him, and it easily deepens into something slow and sensual – and chocolatey. He loves the feeling of her on top of him, her skirt riding up. Both of his hands slide up the back of her thighs and underneath her skirt. He squeezes them. She’s leaning down to kiss him again, but keeping her lips at the barest of distances, teasing him beyond belief.

“How was the box?” He asks, licking his bottom lip, his eyes glued to hers. 

“I _eviscerated _him,” Ellie replies in a low voice, nipping at his bottom lip, but giving him nothing else. At her words, she feels him start to grow hard underneath her and she grins seductively, again keeping her lips barely a whisper from his. “He’ll not see the light of day for a good long time.”

It’s the kind of seduction that would only work on another detective.

He’s breathing heavily and his lips are trembling from the effort spent on staying apart from hers. His fingers are in her hair. “El.”

“Yeah.” She grinds ever so slightly against him.

“I know it’s early still,” he says, slipping a hand up to cup her arse. “But I want to fuck your bloody brains out.”

He pinches her arse cheek and she lets out a yelp. His tongue darts out to wet her lips.

“How badly,” she whispers, her lips now against his.

He groans, and it’s _guttural_. It fully answers her question.

“If we don’t make it to the bedroom within the next thirty seconds…” He trails off. “I’m going to have you wherever we stand.”

She licks her own lips, then crawls backward off of him, and he follows, pushing her back in the direction of the stairs. His eyes are locked to hers and they’re already doing bad things to each other in their respective imaginations. Before they reach the stairs, he pushes her against the wall, his body flush to hers. He doesn’t kiss her, intent on teasing her exactly the way she’s been teasing him, and instead his hips buck against hers, and his hands reach to push up her skirt. She lets out a little gasp of delight. He starts to unfasten his belt, and looks like he could eat her alive. Her hands quickly dart out to stop his.

“No, no,” she whispers harshly. “Kids.”

They’re two feet from the downstairs bathroom. She turns her head in its direction. He understands. She slips out from underneath him and scurries into the small bathroom. He follows, and slams the door shut behind them, locking it. He pulls her to him, hard, then pushes her skirt all the way up and lifts her up onto the sink. Within seconds, he’s pulling her knickers off and she’s pulling off his belt. His trousers fall to the floor and he’s unbuttoning her red silk blouse, shoving his tongue into her mouth hungrily. Then she tugs down his briefs before leaning back against the mirror and he pushes her blouse off her shoulders, immediately burying his face in her breasts.

“You fucking goddess,” he growls into her skin, pushing the lace of her bra away so he can take her nipple in his mouth. 

She gasps a little, but manages to say, “I’m going to force feed you chocolate cake more often,” just before he guides himself inside her with one swift thrust. She gasps a _lot _then, too loudly, and raises a hand to cover her own mouth. He has a truly _wicked _look on his face, the kind she usually only sees when they have to sneak around. He gets a deeply sinister pleasure out of watching her try to quiet herself when he’s driving insane, and she knows it. 

She kisses the look off his face, offering him no mercy, and starts to pull hard at his hair as he thrusts inside her. He can’t breathe and he doesn’t want to. The _sounds_ she’s making into his mouth in an attempt to quiet them are going to be his undoing and fast. He hooks an arm underneath her knee to raise her leg, giving him an even better angle and deeper access. She’s so utterly thrilled by whatever she’s somehow brought out in him with seemingly little effort that her face is lit up not only by sweat and desire but unreserved _delight._

He grins boyishly at her, thrusting harder at his new angle. “Any time you need me to help you _stretch _before heading to the gym, I’m all yours.”

She’s dying to hit him back with a witty retort but she’s already too close, she can feel herself starting to unravel. He can feel it too. Suddenly they hear footsteps outside the room, but they’re in too deep to stop now. He concentrates his movements, and slips his free hand between them to rub at her clit. When he can see she’s on the edge, his arm quickly darts out from under her leg and his hand goes to her mouth to keep her from screaming. The harder she _bites_ it the closer he is to coming himself. 

“Fuck,” he curses under his breath, and they both come at the same time. That beautiful, thrilling rarity that so often feels like an Olympic feat when achieved. He cries out into her chest to muffle the sound, and when his hand falls from her mouth, he sees that she’s drawn blood. Their foreheads come together, and they’re looking at each other like they just started a revolution, as they try to still their respective breathing.

“MUM!”

Their eyes widen. She holds a finger up to his lips to keep him quiet. “IN THE LOO!” She calls back.

“We out of crisps?” 

She sighs. He never eats enough at dinner and then comes raiding the kitchen at night. “If you can’t find any, then I reckon so!”

Alec nips at the index finger she’s holding to him, and she wants to laugh so badly that she has to bite her lip.

Tom’s footsteps place him right outside the door. “You coming out? Daisy’s in the shower upstairs and I need to go.”

He leans against her shoulder, now trying not to laugh as well. She quietly swats him.

“Why don’t you run on up and use the one off my room?”

Ellie can almost _feel _her teenage son’s noncommittal shrug through the door. “Yeah, all right.”

They listen intently as his footsteps become quieter and more distant, then they both burst out laughing, falling against each other.

“Oh my god, he would have never, _ever _forgiven us,” Ellie says, giggling uncontrollably. "_E__ver ever_.”

Once they’ve controlled themselves, he lifts her down off the sink, and has to hold her up because her legs still feel like jelly. With a pouty look on his face, he buttons up her blouse for her as she straightens out her skirt.

“Right, then,” she says, smoothing out his hair for him. “I’ll go out first.”

He holds her to him and plants kisses along her jawline. When he reaches her ear, he nips at the lobe, then whispers, “Meet me upstairs.” 

She raises an eyebrow at him, surprised and quite tickled that he’s ready to go again. He answers the question on her face by leaning in again, breath hot against her neck, and saying, “It’s not over until I’ve got my tongue inside you.”

Her knees give way and his arms around her are the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground. His smile is so wide and he looks so bloody pleased with himself that she shakes her head at him. “Can’t even be half eight, Alec. We’ve not seen the last of the kids tonight,” she reminds him.

“’s why we’ve got a _lock _on the bedroom door, isn’t it?”

Her favorite thing about her new life with him is that she has never has any idea how the day will end.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn't resist referencing The Favourite. I have no shame.


End file.
